What is Women and Roses by Robert Browning about?

Answer 1

Women and Roses is a Love Poem written by Robert Browning, talking about the perfection of women in the Victorian Era. His secret marriage was the perfect inspiration to write this poem in 1855. The poem reveals the differences and similarities between roses and women by using an extended metaphor. He uses time to describe one woman (presumably Elizabeth) as three; old and 'bleached' in the 3rd and 4th stanzas , mature and 'undimmed' in the 5th and 6th stanzas, and young and 'without a thorn' in the 7th and 8th stanzas. Women are compared to roses due to their beauty and thorns, and he compares the elements of a rose as a young shoot, full of promise, a beautiful rose and finally an old and wilted flower; 'bees pass it unimpeached'.

It explores the value of women to the speaker (not necessarily Browning) using the dramatic monologue, and reflects the Victorian view of women by valuing beauty and neglecting to reflect on any other elements of the woman in question.

A main focus of this poem is male control over the female; he asks 'How shall I fix you, fire you, freeze you?' trying to use nature to reflect his desire, and cannot decide whether he wants to change her or keep her the same. Also the repeated line 'they circle their rose on my rose tree' gives the poem a lyrical tone to it and gives the women a choreography of which he is the central role; the most important and the one telling them what to do.

Just remember that the speaker doesn't share the same views of Robert Browning, and that he is most likely channeling the views of male dominated Victorian society, exploring male fantasy through the extended metaphor as the woman as a rose, travelling back in time to essentially see what he's missed.